SEGMENT 2
October 9: We pushed on south. The rain was following us and the road was flooded in several areas (pic 01). For two days, we drove on through the heavy downpours. Whenever we stopped at a cafe for a thé à la menthe, we were chatted up by locals who usually ended up offering their services as a guide or wanted us to visit their shops (pic 02). Though we appreciated these contacts with locals, who always treated us with the greatest hospitality and kindness, it sometimes became a little cumbersome. The children here are especially annoying as they have come to accept tourists as wandering mixtures of banks and Santa Claus, and expect free handouts and gifts at all times.

Having left the mountains behind us, we followed a river through an amazing gorge, at times stark and barren, then suddenly an oasis full of date palms and green, fresh grass. In the area of Rissani we followed the sign for a scenic detour and discovered a short loop through a palm oasis. Every now and then, we passed a ksar (pic 03), a fortified settlement built of clay and surrounded by a thick wall with a guard tower at each corner. This material is cheap and easy to handle, and the structures are supported by wood (often driftwood) and grass which gives the clay extra strength. But the wear of wind and rain shows its marks early, and if the buildings are not constantly maintained, they crumble soon. Hardly any ksour and kasbahs (large fortified living quarters up to three stories high) are older than 100 years.

We felt that we had really reached the desert in Erg Chebbi. The sand dunes area is about 40 kilometers (26 miles) long and 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide, which is nothing compared to the seemingly endless Sahara in Algeria and other desert countries further south, but still offers a beautiful environment to stroll through. With a height of more than 100 meters (300 feet), the dunes are very impressive. Innovative locals offer everything from camel tracks ("camel trick" on one sign) to snowboarding in the dunes, but we preferred to enjoy the peace and quiet of the area (pic 04). At sunset, the orange sand usually turns bright red but since the sun was hidden behind a thick layer of haze, we didn't see the spectacle.

The next morning, it was overcast and soon started to rain. Not much doing in the dunes, so we continued south. Our destination was Taouz from where we wanted to pick up a track west to Zagora.

pic 01

pic 02

pic 03

pic 04


for more pics click here